Not the 72 Dolphins or 85 Bears: the New England Patriots became the first team in history to do this
The New England Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl for the first time since the Tom Brady era, and they did something that none of Brady’s teams could.
The New England Patriots have a Super Bowl date with the Seattle Seahawks in a couple Sundays time. The game will be played in San Francisco, and while the game is considered on a neutral site, the Patriots will be hoping that they are the considered the “away” team.
In Mike Vrabel’s first year as coach of the New England Patriots, he has taken them from a 4-13 team to a 13-4 team that just missed out on the one seed in the AFC. The fact that they didn’t get the one seed didn’t seem to be that big of a deal to them. They went on the road and beat the Devner Broncos in a low scoring, defensive showdown from a snowy Mile High Stadium.
The conference championship win over Denver was the ninth game the Pats won on the road making them the first team in NFL history to go 9-0 in a season. That makes the 2025 New England Patriots the best road team the NFL has ever seen. There have been other teams to go undefeated on the road in the regular season, but no team has won nine games in the course of a season.
Undefeated, but never 9-0
You might recall the Miami Dolphins had an undefeated season back in 1972, but that was back when the regular season was just 14 games long. Despite being a perfect 14-0, the Dolphins had to play the AFC Championship in Pittsburgh against the Steelers because the NFL decided home teams on a yearly rotation instead of giving the higher seeds home field advantage. They beat the Steelers to advance to the Super Bowl and improve their record to 8-0, and would eventually beat the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at a neutral site.
The Washington Redskins were the next team to go undefeated on the road in 1982, but that season was shortened because of a players strike. They went 8-1 in the regular season, going 5-0 on the road and had home field throughout the playoffs, before beating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.
All in all, there have been 12 teams to go undefeated on the road during the regular season. Of those 12 teams, only five went on to win the Super Bowl. The Dolphins and Redskins have already been accounted for, while the San Francisco 49ers went undefeated on the road and won the Super Bowl in 1984 and 1989. Four other teams went undefeated on the road in the regular season after that but failed to Super Bowl until the New England Patriots did so in 2016.
Undefeated road teams
- 1972 Dolphins; 14-0, (8-0 on road) Won Super Bowl
- 1982 Redskins; 8-1, (5-0 on road) Won Super Bowl
- 1984 49ers; 15-1, (8-0 on road) Won Super Bowl
- 1989 49ers; 14-2, (8-0 on road) Won Super Bowl
- 1990 49ers; 14-2, (8-0 on road) lost NFCCG to Giants
- 2001 Rams; 14-2, (8-0 on road) lost SB
- 2007 Patriots; 16-0, (8-0 on road) lost SB
- 2014 Cowboys; 12-4, (8-1 on road) lost Divisional round to Packers (on the road)
- 2016 Patriots; 14-2, (8-0 on road) Won Super Bowl
- 2020 Chiefs; 14-2, (8-0 on road) Lost Super Bowl to Buccaneers
- 2024 Lions; 15-2, (8-0 on road) Lost Divisional round to Commanders
That was the last team to lift the Lombardi Trophy after going undefeated on the road in the 2016 season. Since then two teams have gone undefeated in the regular season, the 2020 Kansas City Chiefs and the 2024 Detroit Lions. The Chiefs lost in the Super Bowl to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while the Lions lost in the Divisional Round to the Washington Commanders. The Pats now have a chance to be the first team to go a perfect 9-0 on the road and win the Super Bowl.
Related stories
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
Complete your personal details to comment